User blog:Julia-B184/Civil War - Part Seven
December 4, 2578 Primary ADVENT Facility, Mandalore "What are the results?" Kylo Ren stood in front of a large window installed in the facility's above-ground floors. To his right stood a Dame of Ren who had just conducted the analysis of the paramilitary sniper. "It's very clearly not meant to be a traditional organization." The Dame replied. "Their gear is a cut above the standard Mandalorian equipment. No emblems. No indication of who, exactly, they are." "And did photos of their dropship give any better results?" Kylo asked. "No." The Dame shook her head. "There are no emblems, logos, anything of the sort on either the sniper or their dropship. But they're far too well-equipped to be mercenary." "An underground organization." Kylo guessed. "Mandalorian Special Operations have unit numbers and flags. This is from outside the planet... from the rest of Orb." "There's not enough evidence to make that public." The Dame cautioned. "If we want to get further, we need to capture hard data from some facility or dropship of theirs... or interrogate a survivor." "Very well." Kylo nodded, turning to the Dame. "Apologies, but I need to get a direct report from Elias. It's going to be important to identify the two operatives he fought with." With that, Kylo turned on his heel and strode over to the nearest elevator, allowing a Lieutenant in as well before going to one of the much lower levels. In moments, the doors opened back up to the darker hallways of the underground section, and Kylo stepped out to make his way to the scheduled report. After a few minutes, he had arrived at one of several debriefing rooms where Elias stood behind one of the desks. To Kylo's pleasure, the newer Knight of Ren had a much more negative air around him than before - hatred practically radiated off of him, which was much more befitting of someone in his position. "Viscount. You wanted a report on the two main attackers." Elias stood up straight when Kylo entered. "Yes. Footage says a redhead and blonde. Please elaborate on their skillsets and fighting styles." "There's not much I can say. I only fought them for a few moments. They each used a traditional Varja, though as we've discovered by now their other equipment was more advanced. They seemed very attached as well, and they did look somewhat alike - eyes, facial structure. One of them seemed more readily defensive and the other was more hesitant for a moment." Elias summarized the attackers from days ago. "You mentioned an Enhanced was among them." Kylo reminded him. "At the end of the battle, the redhead summoned fire from her palm. The blonde was never backed into a corner the same way, so she never became as desperate." "Then I think I know for sure who we're dealing with." "Viscount?" "These two assailants are Enhanced nobles. They've sided with the monarchy since day one of seceeding from the Trading Republic, and they're sisters close to the royal family." Kylo explained. "It looks like they were signed on for this counter-project to the Coalition." "I never made the connection." Elias had never known what any figure except the reigning monarch looked like. "They're... skilled fighters, and who knows how that could be multiplied by their new equipment that can only improve from here." Kylo went on further. "As per stated to all ADVENT soldiers, try to capture them like any other of these paramilitary operatives. But for your own good, if it gets dangerous, don't mess around. Kill them both." "...are they that significant?" The Baron was surprised to hear such a capable fighter so concerned about these two. He wanted revenge for the needless coup de grace of several ADVENT troopers, but he'd never thought Kylo would have a personal reason either. "Do you know them?" "I only really know that they're dangerous. We had a scuffle with them before you joined the Knights of Ren. It almost ended very badly, and they could have gotten better since then." Kylo explained. "So I expect you to do the same. Improve, practice with vigilance, and crush them the next time you see them." X-COM Headquarters, Mandalore The higher-ranking X-COM soldiers had been quickly roused from their sleep in the middle of the night, led by Bradford and Vahlen to the Engineering section. Questions had been staved off for the most part, until Bradford finally turned to them as he waited for the doors to open. "Orb has finally managed to ship the equipment we've been asking for." He explained to the operatives, snapping them out of their sleepy moods. "The Warframes, among other small arms, have arrived." "What models?" Idun spoke up. "Standard Excalibur models for the most part." Vahlen cut in. "But for most of you, our Enhanced, we have the improved models that will augment what powers you have. Once you have this armor on, using your abilities in the field will become a much more viable tactic." "And give us an edge over the more dangerous people on the field, like Knights of Ren, shieldbearers, even sectopods if things become very serious." Bradford concluded. The doors finally slid open and the X-COM staff walked through, laying eyes for the first time upon their new equipment. Advanced suits of armor developed worlds away on Helios, previously too expensive to use until the situation had escalated. These technological marvels bore grappling gauntlets, vacuum and toxin-protective helmets, stealth systems, and all kinds of other functions that would greatly help their operations. "It's imperative that we get these suits linked up to your DNA and altogether accustomed to you as quickly as possible." Vahlen explained, pressing a few keys on her tablet which brought four of the individual models forward. "Vera, you have the Ember Prime model. You'll get suited up first." It took longer than one might have wanted for Vera to finally suit up entirely, but after about fifteen minutes of assistance from engineers and the science team their highest-ranking operative wore the Ember Prime frame, the black and gold trim of the Prime models accented by small, magma-like accents on the hands. To finish the equipment, Vera finally donned her helmet, activating similar accents. "These frames might be the key to winning this side of the war." Bradford explained, as Vera began to demonstrate some of the suit's abilities. "All movement is augmented. Stealth is improved. Unarmed combat is no longer a last-ditch effort. And this is only one of them." "Once you've all suited up, you're going to need to practice for a few hours." Vahlen continued. "Then you all need to get some rest before you train any more." "And keep training. We're going to have these tested out on the field in three days." Bradford finalized. "With the data we found, we're going to strike a new target. With a more thought-out strategy this time." Category:Blog posts Category:Blog posts